He charged the Modi dispensation with “killing” these goddesses. A stunned Bharatiya Janata Party, wedded steadfastly to its Hindutva ideology and not shy of using it to win elections, termed Rahul Gandhi’s unsolicited diagnosis “blasphemy”, but did not forgive Rahul like the Christians are used to with “he does not know what he is saying.” It remains quite apparent, though, that Gandhi knew exactly what he said, and why?

The politician, and the politically aware, would also know. It’s rhetoric that comes with the approach of elections. In the United States, in a similar situation, Donald Trump would take potshots at the Democrats, quoting the evangelicals. In India, Rahul Gandhi dogs Narendra Modi with the fate of the Hindu goddesses in Modi’s reign. To him, the ’rakshasas’ are in command, and battling the 'devas'!

That said, there is no love lost between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi. The two loathe each other. In fact, Rahul Gandhi has told the Mahila Congress to “employ hate” to fight the RSS-BJP combine. September 15 was ‘Mahila Congress Day’ and Rahul Gandhi was ‘Chief Guest’ at the Mahila Congress celebrations.

Therefore, the mention of the “diminishing powers of goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati”. Rahul Gandhi also reminded the “Mahila Congress” of the photographs of Mahatma Gandhi in which he’s seen with women. “Have you seen photographs of Narendra Modi with women?” he asked, the answer left unspoken because it’s so well-known. Quite clearly, Narendra Modi is ‘Misogynist No.1’ to the Congress.

The BJP hit back with venom. Sambit Patra griped: “Why didn’t he call them ‘Ma’ – Ma Durga, Ma Lakshmi and Ma Saraswati? This is unthinkable.” Patra promised a police complaint. In Patra’s reckoning, Rahul Gandhi was in for an electoral shock in 2022 though the “secular Hindus” say Rahul Gandhi’s “Hindu card” was on cue, an out and out ace!

Rahul Gandhi’s “BJP-RSS are fake Hindus” charge has hurt both entities, and would have hurt them two even more if it had been made before the “Dismantle Global Hindutva” conclave. Rahul Gandhi has single-handedly unleashed the full powers of goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati on Narendra Modi is the unspoken verdict.

To the BJP, Rahul Gandhi is not a “Hindu”, not even his mother Sonia Gandhi, but to the vast majority of Hindu, there’s a difference between ‘Hindu’ and ‘Hindutva’. To them, the BJP is ‘Hindutva’, a political ideology aping intolerant religions. Rahul Gandhi spoke of Mahatma Gandhi the “quintessential Hindu of the last Century”, more “Hindu” than the ‘fake Hindus” of the BJP and RSS.

To the Bharatiya Janata Party’s dismay, Rahul Gandhi was winning the “Kaun Hindu?” debate. By butting into the BJP’s ‘Hindu dream’ and turning it into a nightmare, Rahul Gandhi has willy-nilly instigated a fresh debate on Hinduism and Hindutva – why and how one is hurting the other? The RSS adopted Hindutva for the political spread of the BJP and, thereby, according to Rahul Gandhi, “diminished the powers of goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

Gandhi, however, said one thing on which there cannot be debate: The Congress ideology was in “complete contrast to that of the RSS and the BJP”, and “only one of the two ideologies can rule the country”, and that “fake Hindus” are using “religion for their benefits”, indulging in “dalali” for the Hindutva crowd; only 14-15 families –- “friends of Modi” — whose powers have greatly enhanced!

The BJP’s reaction was “panic”. Sambit Patra acted like his pants were on fire. BJP-friendly media were no less perturbed. It was like they too had, like the Mahatma, taken “three bullets in the chest”. The BJP could not stomach Rahul-talk that said that "demonetisation" and "GST" attacked the “Shakti of Lakshmi” and the “Shakti of Durga” -– “Wherever they go, they kill Lakshmi or Durga and then say we are Hindus.”(IPA service)